The invention relates to a vehicle seat and, more particularly, to a vehicle seat with a cushion integrated into a seat part and/or a seat back, the cushion consists of a ventilation layer through which air can flow and especially consists of a coarse-mesh spacing kit.
Ventilated vehicle seats of this kind serve to improve seat climate comfort, both when entering a parked vehicle that has been overheated by prolonged exposure to the sun and also during long travel times.
In a vehicle seat of this kind, such as is disclosed in DE 196 28 698 C1, the cushion layer through which air can flow and which consists of a coarse-mesh spacing knit, the so-called ventilation layer, completely covers a cushion cover made of rubberized hair or foam. The cushion layer rests on a cushion support, a spring core for example, and is covered on its top or front facing away from the cushion cover by a pressure distribution layer that is permeable to air and is made of a spacing knit, nonwoven fabric, or open-pored foam. The pressure distribution layer is covered by a cushion cover and a cover filling is inserted between the cushion and the pressure distribution layer. To ventilate the ventilation layer, a plurality of electrically driven miniature fans or miniature blowers is provided. These are placed in the air channels incorporated into the cushion cover. These air channels are distributed over the surface of the cushion. In a limited area above the air channel openings, an intermediate layer that is not permeable to air, a film for example, is located on the top of the ventilation layer that faces away from the air channel opening. This is done so that the air that is blown through the air channel into the ventilation layer does not immediately escape from the pressure distribution layer and the cushion cover, but is deflected and flows through the ventilation layer. The miniature fans draw air from the area of the passenger compartment located below the seat and blow it into the ventilation layer. In the ventilation layer, the air can spread out in all directions and flows through the pressure distribution layer and the cushion cover when the seat is unoccupied, into the air space above the seat surface, thus causing a rapid cooling of the seat surface which may be heated by solar radiation for example. When the seat is occupied, the air flows in the ventilation layer and emerges at the open ends of the ventilation layer. In this way, it creates a temperature and humidity gradient and carries away the air moistened by the seated individual.
The goal of the invention is to optimize the ventilation efficiency of the seat ventilation system in a vehicle seat of the above-mentioned type.
The goal is achieved in a vehicle seat with a cushion integrated into a seat part and/or a seat back. The cushion consists of a ventilation layer through which air can flow and especially consists of a coarse-mesh spacing knit. A ventilation layer, and a cushion cover stretched over the surface of the cushion facing the seated person, along with a plurality of electrically powered miniature fans are also provided. The fans are located in air supply channels that terminate on the cushion side facing away from the cushion cover. The fans blow air into the ventilation layer and extend up to the ventilation layer.
The vehicle seat according to the invention has the advantage of providing exhaust air channels in the cushion such that, when the seat is occupied, the ventilation air can escape from the cushion unimpeded after flowing through the ventilation layer. This thus creates a relatively high humidity and temperature gradient with respect to the microclimate on the surface of the cushion, so that transpiration moisture is removed efficiently from the cushion surface. At the same time, the resistance to through flow of the ventilation knit layer is reduced, so that the air in the ventilation layer does not press against the surface of the cushion. This thus avoids blowing directly on the seat user. In this way, the seat user does not have the sensation of a draft. As a result of the low through-flow resistance of the ventilation layer, the efficiency of the fans and the ventilation efficiency in general are improved.
Advantageous embodiments of the vehicle seat according to the invention with advantageous improvements and embodiments of the invention are described herein.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the openings of the intake and exhaust air channels on the underside or back of the cushion are located so that the incoming and exhaust air streams are separate from one another. This prevents the exhaust air, in a form of short-circuit flow, from penetrating once again as incoming air into the intake air channels, and as a result increasingly enriching the ventilation air with moisture by passing it several times through the ventilation layer.
If cavities are located in the back part below the cushion in the seat part or behind the cushion in the back part, according to advantageous embodiments of the invention, these cavities are used for drawing in air through the miniature fans located in the intake air channels and are provided for this purpose with an air intake opening through which air can enter from the area below the vehicle seat. The exhaust air channels provided in the cushion extend into air shafts that pass completely through the cavity and terminate outside the cavity.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.